1997 Primestar 500
# 1997 Primestar 500

The 1997 Primestar 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 9, 1997, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would dominate the majority of the race to take his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan and Precision Products Racing driver Morgan Shepherd would finish second and third, respectively.

The race was marred by a crash involving Larry Hedrick Motorsports driver Steve Grissom on lap 284. On the track's backstretch, Jimmy Spencer would spin in front of oncoming cars, causing Grissom to spin and fellow driver and rookie Mike Skinner to hit Spencer and become airborne. Grissom would proceed to spin towards an opening on the inside backstretch wall at over 180 miles per hour (290 km/h), eventually hitting the wall violently. Grissom's car would proceed to flip wildly, with the rear axle completely torn from the car and with the fuel cell ruptured, fuel would spill onto the track. Grissom was eventually determined to be OK from the accident, with Grissom only suffering a "skinned ankle" according to Grissom himself.

## Background

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) - denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Delco-Remy, Cruisin' America Phone Card |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | QVC |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 08 | Mike Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | Uniseal |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Close Call Phone Card |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar, The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Parts America |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Gary Bradberry | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | Child Support Recovery |
| 20 | Greg Sacks | Ranier-Walsh Racing | Ford | Hardee's |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Camel Cigarettes |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartoon Network, Scooby-Doo |
| 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, RC Cola |
| 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree |
| 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul |
| 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Diamond Rio, Hanes |
| 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | Square D |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 91 | Mike Wallace | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | Spam |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 95 | Ed Berrier | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Federal Trade Commission |
| 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | John Deere |
| 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 7, at 12:30 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, March 8, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.

Robby Gordon, driving for Team SABCO, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.378 and an average speed of 186.507 miles per hour (300.154 km/h).

Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Robert Pressley, Derrike Cope, Bobby Hillin Jr., Wally Dallenbach Jr., Ed Berrier, Dave Marcis, and Mike Miller.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.378 | 186.507 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.471 | 185.918 |
| 3 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.564 | 185.334 |
| 4 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.607 | 185.064 |
| 5 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.620 | 184.983 |
| 6 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.640 | 184.858 |
| 7 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.655 | 184.765 |
| 8 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.670 | 184.671 |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.675 | 184.640 |
| 10 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 29.710 | 184.423 |
| 11 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 29.731 | 184.292 |
| 12 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 29.735 | 184.268 |
| 13 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.747 | 184.193 |
| 14 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.759 | 184.119 |
| 15 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 29.761 | 184.107 |
| 16 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 29.764 | 184.088 |
| 17 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.772 | 184.039 |
| 18 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.784 | 183.965 |
| 19 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 29.802 | 183.853 |
| 20 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.806 | 183.829 |
| 21 | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 29.812 | 183.792 |
| 22 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.813 | 183.786 |
| 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.830 | 183.681 |
| 24 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.835 | 183.650 |
| 25 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.837 | 183.638 |
| 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.828 | 183.693 |
| 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.840 | 183.619 |
| 28 | 20 | Greg Sacks | Ranier-Walsh Racing | Ford | 29.860 | 183.496 |
| 29 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.885 | 183.343 |
| 30 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.889 | 183.318 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.905 | 183.220 |
| 32 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.906 | 183.214 |
| 33 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.928 | 183.079 |
| 34 | 19 | Gary Bradberry | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 29.945 | 182.975 |
| 35 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.960 | 182.884 |
| 36 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.968 | 182.835 |
| 37 | 91 | Mike Wallace | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 29.974 | 182.798 |
| 38 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 29.978 | 182.774 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.383 | 180.338 |
| 40 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 30.028 | 182.470 |
| 41 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.982 | 182.750 |
| 42 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 30.347 | 180.552 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 29 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 45 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 47 | 95 | Ed Berrier | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 08 | Mike Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 328 | 253 | running | 185 | $137,650 |
| 2 | 17 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 328 | 10 | running | 175 | $73,000 |
| 3 | 21 | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 10 | running | 170 | $59,400 |
| 4 | 29 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 3 | running | 165 | $46,000 |
| 5 | 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 155 | $41,000 |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 328 | 9 | running | 155 | $45,900 |
| 7 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 146 | $34,825 |
| 8 | 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 0 | running | 142 | $40,975 |
| 9 | 22 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 1 | running | 143 | $43,275 |
| 10 | 18 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 328 | 0 | running | 134 | $41,375 |
| 11 | 40 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 0 | running | 130 | $33,925 |
| 12 | 36 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 127 | $24,425 |
| 13 | 30 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 124 | $19,905 |
| 14 | 1 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 327 | 42 | running | 126 | $42,935 |
| 15 | 33 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 118 | $31,805 |
| 16 | 3 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 115 | $30,495 |
| 17 | 16 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 112 | $30,185 |
| 18 | 41 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 326 | 0 | running | 109 | $29,965 |
| 19 | 32 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 106 | $18,435 |
| 20 | 8 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 324 | 0 | running | 103 | $32,035 |
| 21 | 24 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 100 | $18,925 |
| 22 | 6 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 323 | 0 | running | 97 | $29,365 |
| 23 | 20 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 94 | $34,755 |
| 24 | 19 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 0 | running | 91 | $18,620 |
| 25 | 35 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 321 | 0 | running | 88 | $29,165 |
| 26 | 37 | 91 | Mike Wallace | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 85 | $18,460 |
| 27 | 28 | 20 | Greg Sacks | Ranier-Walsh Racing | Ford | 305 | 0 | running | 82 | $18,350 |
| 28 | 4 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 304 | 0 | engine | 79 | $21,575 |
| 29 | 10 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | crash | 76 | $28,335 |
| 30 | 25 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 293 | 0 | running | 73 | $32,975 |
| 31 | 38 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 284 | 0 | crash | 70 | v34,915 |
| 32 | 12 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 282 | 0 | crash | 67 | $27,955 |
| 33 | 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 281 | 0 | crash | 64 | $28,760 |
| 34 | 7 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | crash | 61 | $27,725 |
| 35 | 13 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | crash | 58 | $27,190 |
| 36 | 11 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 261 | 0 | engine | 55 | $17,665 |
| 37 | 14 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 260 | 0 | engine | 52 | $17,650 |
| 38 | 15 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 253 | 0 | engine | 49 | $24,570 |
| 39 | 42 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | crash | 46 | $17,570 |
| 40 | 34 | 19 | Gary Bradberry | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | 252 | 0 | crash | 43 | $17,570 |
| 41 | 5 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 226 | 0 | engine | 40 | $24,570 |
| 42 | 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 59 | 0 | engine | 37 | $34,770 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 29 | Robert Pressley | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 95 | Ed Berrier | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 08 | Mike Miller | Miller Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
